Michael Fassbender Will Reportedly Return for ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’

Even when the recent X-Men movies have veered into nigh-unwatchable territory (lookin’ at you, Apocalypse), Michael Fassbender gives us a reason to stick it out. The consistently compelling actor can make even the most lackluster films more interesting, and whatever your feelings are about some of his movies, I think we can all agree that Fassbender is always great. So it’s definitely not disappointing to learn that he may very well be reprising his role as the young(er) Magneto in the next X-Men movie.

Although Fassbender’s talents could certainly be put to better use elsewhere, it’s good to know that even if X-Men: Dark Phoenix is a disappointment, we’ll still have Fassy to keep us entertained — at least, that seems to be the case according to MTV’s Josh Horowitz:

Per Horowitz, the news comes directly from Fassbender himself, though I wouldn’t quite call it official just yet. X-Men: Dark Phoenix doesn’t hit theaters until November 2018, so it may be a while before we hear anything more concrete about the project, which — as the title suggests — is based on the classic X-Men comics storyline and centers heavily on Jean Grey, currently played on screen by Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner.

Although Fox has yet to announce a director for the film, X-Men series writer / producer Simon Kinberg was reportedly in talks for the job back in February.

As for New Mutants, it makes sense that Fassbender wouldn’t make an appearance as the film focuses on a separate group of heroes and is somewhat peripheral to the central X-Men universe. That said, James McAvoy’s Professor X was heavily rumored for the spinoff, a notion seemingly confirmed by Kinberg and New Mutants star Anya Taylor-Joy (who also appeared opposite McAvoy in Split). The film, which also stars Maisie Williams, hits theaters on April 13, 2018.